Washington, Feb 25 : Millions of middle-aged women racked by hot flushes should really count them as a blessing in disguise - a survey shows that hot flushes protect them from heart disease and stroke during the onset of menopause.

The results were based on the survey of 60,000 women enrolled in Women's Health Initiative, a 10-year investigation in the US, the journal Menopause reports.

"We found that women who experienced symptoms when they began menopause had fewer cardiovascular events than those who experienced hot flushes late in menopause or not at all," said Emily Szmuilowicz from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in the US who led the study.

Hot flushes are among the most common of menopausal symptoms, caused by skin's dilating blood vessels and not completely understood, according to a Northwestern Memorial statement.

Participants were categorised by the type of symptoms, for instance, experiencing hot flushes and sweating at night at the beginning of menopause, or in later stages of the menopause or at both times.(IANS)